Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing in hard-partitioned environments

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing in hard-partitioned environments

    This content explains how ServiceNow supports Oracle licensing rules for hard-partitioned environments specifically on IBM AIX LPAR and Solaris Zone platforms. Hard partitioning divides a physical server into independent subsystems with isolated resources, enabling precise Oracle Database and WebLogic Server license tracking and compliance.

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    IBM LPAR Licensing

    Logical Partitions (LPARs) are subsets of processor hardware running independent operating systems. ServiceNow Discovery patterns for IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) enable detailed discovery of LPARs and their resources. This data is stored in specific CMDB tables after installing the CMDB CI Class Models application. The sampframetolparresource database view consolidates LPAR data to help determine Oracle license compliance across the IBM LPAR infrastructure.

    Licensing rules for Oracle products on IBM LPARs depend on processor pool types:

    • Dedicated Processors: Must license all dedicated processors running Oracle software. License count is total processor cores multiplied by Oracle’s core processor licensing factor.
    • Shared Processors (Micro-partitions): Licensing differs based on LPAR type:
      • Capped LPAR: License based on the sum of assigned entitled CPU capacities multiplied by the Oracle core factor.
      • Uncapped LPAR: License based on either the sum of assigned virtual processors plus entitled capacities or limited to physical processor cores, whichever is lower, multiplied by the Oracle core factor.

    Solaris Zones Licensing

    For Solaris servers using global and local zones, Oracle licensing rights must cover the physical host running the entire zone configuration. Per Processor licenses must cover all cores allocated to local zones up to the host’s maximum capacity. Named User Plus licenses must cover users accessing Oracle software within local zones.

    Practical Takeaways for ServiceNow Customers

    • Use ServiceNow Discovery with IBM HMC and Solaris discovery patterns to accurately identify hard-partitioned environments and their resources.
    • Install required CMDB CI Class Models and Discovery applications to properly populate and manage LPAR and zone data in your CMDB.
    • Leverage the sampframetolparresource database view for consolidated reporting and compliance assessment of Oracle licenses in IBM LPAR environments.
    • Understand and apply Oracle’s processor licensing rules for both IBM LPAR and Solaris Zones to ensure correct license counting and compliance.

    The Software Asset Management application supports Oracle hard-partitioning licensing rules for IBM AIX LPAR and Solaris Zone.

    When you hard partition a server, the server is divided into smaller systems that run independently from each other. Each system contains its own processors, network resources, operating system, memory, and more. For more information on Oracle licensing and hard partitioning, refer to Oracle Partitioning Policy.

    IBM LPAR

    A logical partition (LPAR) is a defined subset of processor hardware that supports the operating system. An LPAR contains resources, such as processors, memory, and input or output devices, that operate as an independent system. You can have multiple LPARs within each mainframe hardware system.

    Discovering the LPARs and LPAR resources within your IBM LPAR infrastructure requires ServiceNow Discovery patterns for the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC), which is the hardware appliance that enables you to manage and configure your LPARs. To access these discovery patterns, you must request and install the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store. For more information on how to configure a discovery on your LPARs, see IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery.

    Note:
    The lparstat command pulls a report of LPAR-related information and usage. For more information, see the IBM Knowledge Center.
    When you run a discovery, your discovered LPAR data is populated and stored in the following Configuration Management Database (CMDB) tables on your ServiceNow instance:
    • cmdb_ci_ibm_frame
    • cmdb_ci_aix_server
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_instance
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_resource
    • cmdb_rel_ci
    • cmdb_sam_sw_install
    To populate and store this data, you must request and install the CMDB CI Class Models application from the ServiceNow Store. This application adds or updates CMDB classes for the IBM HMC. For more information on IBM HMC CMDB classes, see IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) extension classes.
    After your discovered LPAR data is populated in the appropriate CMDB tables, you can use the samp_frame_to_lpar_resource database view to join the tables together and consolidate all LPAR data into a single view. Based on this database view and the Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing rules for IBM LPAR, you can identify and determine the license compliance of all Oracle database and WebLogic server installations across your IBM LPAR infrastructure.
    Table 1. Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing rules for IBM LPAR
    Processor pool Description Licensing rule
    Dedicated Processors are assigned to only one dedicated LPAR, which is an LPAR that is built on dedicated CPU resources. You must license the dedicated processors on which you install or run an Oracle database or WebLogic server.

    To determine the number of rights that are required for a dedicated LPAR, multiply the total number of processor cores that are running an Oracle database or WebLogic server on the LPAR by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.
    Shared Processors are shared across micro-partitions, which are LPARs that are built on shared CPU resources. You must license the shared processors on which you install or run an Oracle database or WebLogic server.
    You can determine the number of rights that are required across your micro-partitions based on the LPAR type:
    • Capped LPAR: A capped LPAR is a logical partition that is assigned a maximum entitled capacity, which is the number of CPU resources that the LPAR is entitled to receive. Capped LPARs cannot use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity.

      To determine the number of rights that are required across your capped micro-partitions, multiply the sum of all assigned entitled capacities by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.

    • Uncapped LPAR: An uncapped LPAR is a logical partition that can use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity. Processor power usage is limited by the number of virtual processors that are assigned to the LPAR or by the maximum number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool.
      To determine the number of rights that are required across your uncapped micro-partitions, add the sum of all assigned virtual processors with the sum of all assigned entitled capacities.
      • If the resulting value is lower than the number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool, multiply the value by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.
      • If the resulting value is greater than the number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool, multiply the number of physical processor cores by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.

    For more information on database views, see Working with database views for reporting.

    Solaris zones

    You can set up a global zone on a Solaris server and hard partition it with multiple local zones. You can then run an Oracle database or WebLogic server on one or more local zones. To license your Oracle database or WebLogic server installations, rights should be allocated to the physical host that runs the entire Solaris zone configuration. For the Per Processor license metric, rights must cover the cores for all local zones up to the maximum capacity of the physical host. For the Named User Plus license metric, rights must cover the clients that access the database or WebLogic server on the local zones. For information about Solaris zone discovery, see Solaris discovery.